


Kopa's Return

by Adrshy2113



Category: The Lion Guard (TV), The Lion King (1994)
Genre: F/M, Kopa Lives, Kopa and Kion exist in the sequel, No Dialogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-18 18:05:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16522055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adrshy2113/pseuds/Adrshy2113
Summary: Simba and Nala shelter Kiara to the point of house arrest. They wanted to do the same with Kion but his calling to the Lion Guard forced his parents to give him more freedom. But is the reason behind their hovering?What happened before Kiara and Kion were born?





	Kopa's Return

Kopa befriended Vitani when he was a cub. However, they were found out by Zira, who practically mauled him to death. Simba almost killed Zira for what she did but Nala insist he not do it, preferring to drive away what little food the Outlands already had. Kopa does survive but his memory is very fickle after his ordeal for a couple of years. By the time he regains his memories, Kiara is begrudgingly learning to become the next leader of Pride Rock and Kion has been the leader of the Lion Guard for years. Kopa decides to keep his distance, believing there is no need to reopen old wounds. He lives with a neutral pack of hyenas and watches as Kion and Jasiri grow closer together. He watches as Kiara is saved by Kovu. He hopes Simba will approve of Kovu and that the young lion will understand that his life doesn’t have follow one path.

But when Simba and Kovu go to talk, Kopa sees Zira and her pride coming to attack. Kion and the others arrive but the Outland lions are too large of a group. Kopa and the hyena pack attack Zira and her pride. She is shocked to see the cub she believed she had killed years ago and Simba is stricken. Vitani recognizes him as well and remembers her hatred towards her mother. When Nuka pounces at Kopa, Vitani blocks him and turns to Kopa, asking if it’s really him. He smiles sadly and says yes, it’s him. Zira attempts to make a strike but Kopa pins her and the hyenas have the rest of pack incapacitated. Kopa allows her to live, saying he will never stoop to her level, taking cowardly stances like Scar. The hyenas drive off the Outland lions and Kopa thanks them for their help. He exchanges a few pleasantries with them as they leave but the lions and the guard watch as one older female hyena starts crying. Kopa goes to her and tells her no matter where he goes, she will always be his mother. She sighs and promises he will always be in her heart. As she joins her clan, he finally comes face to face with Simba. 

Simba looks upon his firstborn cub and slowly walks up to him. Kopa has Nala’s coloring, with a brown mane. He still bears the scars Zira gave him as a cub but looks like a mirror image to his father. Kopa and Simba shed tears and nuzzle each other. Kovu watches this and is shocked by what is transpiring. Not only by this new lion Simba is nuzzling but also by Vitani’s behavior. Kion asks Simba who this lion is and Simba tells him it’s his older brother. Kion and the Lion Guard are shocked but Simba doesn’t pay attention. Instead he asks Kopa where he’s been this whole time and Kopa tells him everything, how the pack of hyenas found him and the female hyena they saw had nursed him back to health. How he’s been watching over his family for the past few years. Simba asks why he never came home, why he never let them know he was alive. Kopa stands by his belief that they were getting on with their lives well without him and he didn’t want to ruin it. 

Vitani implores him to believe that they would have rejoiced if they had known he was alive. She begins to cry, whispering how much she missed him and Kopa walks over and gently nuzzles her and she nuzzles back. Kovu is shocked once more, he had no idea about Kopa but knew that when they were cubs, for a while Vitani seemed very happy but then one day, Zira struck her and severely punished her. For some time, Vitani would disappear at different points during the days and when Kovu followed her once, she was crying. After a while, Vitani grew stony and stoic, almost like she turned into a different person overnight. Watching her with Kopa now, he finally understands. 

They all go back to Pride Rock and Nala is shocked to see her first cub with Simba. She rushes over to him and Kiara goes to Kovu, asking him what happened. Kovu is still a little confounded by it all but tells her everything seems to be alright. Kopa turns to Kiara and smiles, stating how big she’s grown. Kopa is welcomed back to the pride and Vitani along with Kovu are allowed into the pride as well. Kion is unsure about all of this, as well as Kopa’s connection to the hyenas. Despite him understanding that not all hyenas are like Janja or Scar’s lackey’s, he has been hearing disturbing news about Janja and his clan’s activities. He’s been trying to bring Jasiri and her clan to the Pridelands for their safety but Jasiri is uneasy as to how she and her clan will be welcomed here.

 

A big celebration is held the next day in honor of Kopa’s return. Rafiki comes to honor Kopa and Zazu cries with joy at the return of the young cub; although Timon and Pumba have him beat in crying, giving huge crocodile tears. Kion however, uses this time to slip away and go see Jasiri and find out if this hyena pack is on good terms like hers. Kopa watches him leave but doesn’t mind it. 

Kion sees Jasiri and the two are in a secret romantic relationship. Jasiri asks it’s true that Kion has an older brother and he says yes. He tells her what he knows about him and his past and asks about the hyena pack he lived with. She says she knows them but that they are outcasts, the second generation to Scar’s hyenas. She doesn’t know much about them, only that they keep to themselves and don’t approve of Janja and his clan. She offers to go meet with them. Kion doesn’t want to be a burden to her but she simply licks him and says it’s ok. 

Meanwhile back at Pride Rock, Kopa manages to get away from Zuri and Tiifu, and finds a moment to be alone with Vitani. They catch up on lost time and Vitani takes a chance and licks his cheek. He is surprised but smiles and licks her back. They have chosen each other as their mates. Simba watches this and looks over at Kiara and Kovu. He decides that maybe change is needed if he ever wants to heal the wounds Scar created. 

However in the Outlands, Zira is unnerved and angry about these turn of events. Nuka is nervous but his head is spinning with all this new information. He always knew his mother hated Simba but he never thought she would actually attempt to kill a cub for playing with Vitani. Nuka asks her if it’s true. Zira says it doesn’t matter now, the cub is alive and fully grown and he has taken her daughter and Nuka’s sister. Nuka is hesitant but he fears his mother more and still desires her approval.

As Kion comes back from Jasiri, Kopa is waiting for him. Kion is nervous but Kopa just smiles at him and says he would find it strange if Kion believed and trusted him right off the bat simply because they turn out to be brothers. Kion asks about his clan and Kopa tells him that they did resent their family for a long time but when they found him on the brink of death, one of the mothers, who had just lost her litter, had found him and insisted she care for him. He was picked on as a cub but as he grew, he earned their respect and friendship, joining the hunts, fighting off opposing clans. Specifically, Janja and his crew. Kion starts, asking if he knows Janja personally. Kopa tells him that Janja is the son of Scar’s closest hyena lackey, Shenzi, and in that, he stills believes that his mother was loyal to Scar to the end. Kion frowns and says that Simba told him and Kiara that the hyenas turned on Scar at the last moment when he accused them of being the true enemies. Kopa nods and says that’s the truth. Kion asks if Janja knows this. Kopa sighs and says if he did know, Scar’s spirit must have persuaded him that that wasn’t the case. While Scar was never very large and strong like their father and grandfather, he had a powerful voice and used his words well. Kion nods and looks over his brother. He can clearly see his scars and his similar qualities to their father and apologizes for his suspicions. Kopa just smiles and says once more he would be more concerned if he wasn’t. The two share a smile and go inside the den.

 

The next day, Jasiri has just met with Kopa’s clan and had met his adoptive mother. As she heads back to her turf, Janja and his clan once again cause trouble but just as she is about to drive them off, Zira pins her and grins at Janja, introducing herself, while Nuka stands behind her, looking uncertain. Madoa sees this and goes back to her clan to warn them and then go find the Lion Guard. 

In the Pridelands, Kion introduces Kopa to the Lion Guard—Bunga, Fuli, Ono, and Beshti—with Vitani, Kiara, and Kovu tagging along. When they have a moment alone, Kopa asks Kion if Simba knows about Jasiri. Kion gets nervous and says he knows of her but he doesn’t know what she means to him yet. Kopa asks about her and Kion describes her. Kopa listens and smiles in a knowing and amused sort of way at his little brother’s obvious affection for this hyena. In learning how tough she is and how they met, Kopa chuckles and says she is definitely the right one for him. Kion smiles a little embarrassed but then Kovu walks over and asks Kopa how he and Vitani met. Kopa tells them he was wandering around the edge of the Pridelands when he was a cub and came across another lion cub on the other side of the bank. For some time, they would see each other every day and play together. Kopa knows he and Vitani felt more than simple friendship even at that young age but then Zira caught them. 

Kion feels his rage in remembering what Zira tried to do to his brother all that time ago. Kovu sees this and gets nervous, remembering his first encounter with him as a cub but Kopa tells him to relax, and that what’s past is past. Kion asks why he can be so calm about it, why didn’t he strike Zira what he had her pinned, make her feel the pain she caused him all those years ago. Kopa tells him there is no need for the anger and hatred. If he allows it to stay, it will fester within his mind and body and he will be no better than Zira and Scar, who are prime examples of this. Kion understands but says it’s so hard. Kopa knows but he also knows that Kion is the leader of the Lion Guard and that is not a responsibility meant for just anyone. The fact that Kion needs to always have emotional control over the Roar, shows that he does have a strong mentality and good sense of morals. 

Kion mulls this over and decides to tell his secret to Kopa and Kovu that he wants to bring Jasiri to the Pridelands. They are both surprised by this, though Kopa is more surprised that he went ahead and said it more than anything else. Kovu asks if they can actually do that. Kiara and Vitani overhear the conversation and Kiara asks if Kion thinks it’s a good idea to bring this up with Simba, given his touchiness towards hyenas in general. Vitani isn’t too surprised by this, remembering when she first met Kion with Jasiri at his side and easily saw how smitten he was with her. Kion says it’s time to truly leave the past where it belongs. If they continue to discriminate against the hyenas, then they will have failed the circle of life. Just then Rafiki comes out of nowhere and praises Kion on his wisdom. 

However at that moment, Madoa comes rushing through the long glass, calling out for Kion and the Lion Guard. Kion calls her over and she finally finds him. She’s a little intimidated by the other four lions but Kion catches her attention and she tells him what happened to Jasiri. She tells them she is certain Zira will try to use Jasiri as a bargaining chip or some kind of bait to draw them out and kill him and his family. Kion and the Lion Guard want to go right then and there but Kopa tells him this is exactly what Zira wants. They need to get more help if they want to help Jasiri. Kion is anxious but he takes a breath and tells Madoa to go back to her clan and keep them safe from Janja and Zira. The lions and the guard all race to Pride Rock to tell Simba what is happening. 

Meanwhile, Kopa’s old clan is very quiet and despondent. His adoptive mother is quiet and morbid, and her mate, despite him never really understanding and accepting Kopa, wishes he were back, if only to make his mate lively once more. But then they all hear a commotion and see Zira’s pride and Janja’s clan walks towards the bank separating the Outlands from the Pridelands. They see Jasiri being dragged along, a series of wounds decorating her body. She overhears them mention Kopa and his family and realizes something bad is about to happen. She walks away from their den, the leader tries to stop her but she refuses to stay where she is. She loved Kopa and loves him still as her own and nothing will stop her from trying to protect her child. Her mate follows her, along with the grunt of the clan until all of them make their way to the Pridelands. 

Upon hearing what is happening, the Pride, the Lion Guard, Timon and Pumba, and Madoa and her clan make their way to meet Zira and Janja. Kion sees Jasiri and nearly bolts over to her but is stopped by Kopa and Kovu. Simba demands Zira free the female hyena and go home. Zira proclaims she is home and calls her lionesses to attack. They hold their own well but are getting overwhelmed. As Zazu watches from above, he sees a clan of hyenas coming. Fearing they are with Janja he tried to warn Simba but they surprised to see the hyenas attacking Zira’s lions and Janja’s hyenas. Kopa sees his hyena mother and grins at her. 

However, the battle takes a startling turn when Nuka, having a change of heart, frees Jasiri and knocks into Zira. Everything stops and Vitani and Kovu stare at their older adoptive brother. Nuka yells at Zira that this is pointless, that she nothing more but a selfish, cruel lioness who beats and kills little cubs simply because they can have the potential to a better life then she thinks she had. He asks if she really thought Scar didn’t really turn his back on them when he was king. Did she really believe Scar didn’t try to mate with Nala or Sarabi during his time? Kiara listens to this and turns to her father, saying this animosity between all of them needs to stop. Sensing the turning tides, Janja and his clan high tail out of there. They let them go. 

Simba tells Kiara she needs to get behind him but Kopa joins her, imploring him that the lionesses and the hyenas of the Outlands are not monsters, they are animals just like them. They all listen to this and the Outland lions stop fighting. Simba smiles at Kiara and Kopa, and Kopa catches his foster mother’s eye and she smiles at him proudly. Zira tried to send one of her lions at Simba but one by one, they each join the Pridelanders. Desperate, she makes to strike not at Simba, but at Kopa. But at last minute, Nuka pushes him out of the way and takes the killing strike meant for Kopa. 

Zira looks at what she’s done and stares at Nuka in horror. Kovu and Vitani run to Nuka, pushing Zira out of the way. She is quickly restrained by other lionesses. Kovu and Vitani beg Nuka to stay with them, he’ll get help, but he needs to stay awake. Nuka smiles and endearingly calls them little termites and says he’s glad they have real lives now and to not waste them. Kopa asks why he pushed him out of the way and Nuka just says he doesn’t want his sister to suffer anymore. Vitani sobs and Kion helps Jasiri over to him. She thanks him for what he did for her and says she’ll never forget it. He jerkily nods to her and struggles to look at his mother, who is crying. He begs her to let go of her anger and hatred. It’s not worth it. Zira begs him to not go but he smiles one last time and breathes his last breath. Vitani sobs harder and Kovu lets his tears fall. Zira sees this and wails with grief, throwing off the lionesses restraining her. But instead of attacking, she runs over to the gorge and stares down the cliff. She quietly says she now understands, referring to when she almost killed Kopa and Simba nearly killed her in his grief. Without further a due, she throws herself into the gorge, mentally thinking she will see Nuka soon enough. Kovu and Vitani watch as her body is swept away by the river and give a small moment of silence for her. Simba asks Rafiki to give Nuka a proper burial and welcomes the Outland lions and hyenas to the Pridelands.

 

Sometime later, Nuka has been given an honorary burial and Rafiki has blessed every one of the mating pairs—Kopa and Vitani, Kovu and Kiara, and Kion and Jasiri. Now that Jasiri’s clan and Asante’s clan live in the Pridelands, they have helped the circle of life in eating the leftovers the bigger predators leave behind. Asante is overjoyed to be close to Kopa and gets along very well with Nala and Simba, who always ask her for stories of Kopa as he grew into a powerful young lion. The Outlander lions are no longer so skinny, packing on healthy weight with better game and water. Kiara decides to not be Queen, choosing instead to guide and follow Kopa who she believes will make a great King. They know they will still have face the spirit of Scar and find out what he has in store for Janja but until that happens, they are going to live together, happily. And wait for Kiara and Vitani to have their cubs.

**Author's Note:**

> What did you guys think? Let me know! :)


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